Hopara

Yes, it’s time for our third day in a row of the great desk escape, our series where we help you blow off some steam or just get some new perspective by giving you an hour’s worth of activities to get you out of the office.  Today’s edition is in Providence, Rhode Island, which we’ve always thought is a pretty cool, funky place.  So here goes — a few activities to help you escape for about an hour in Providence, Rhode Island!

Providence, Rhode Island Great Desk Escape Activity #1: Reclaim your lost youth as a skateboarder at Neutaconkanut Skate Park

So, yeah, this isn’t the prettiest park in the world (in fact, for a city that’s so close to so many beautiful places, we’ve always felt that Providence was a bit light on parks (except for Roger Williams - see #2 below), and sorry, Warwick is way too far away from downtown for an hour-long escape), the bowl is pretty much covered in graffiti, and you’re likely to be called ‘gramps’ pretty quickly upon showing up here, but let’s think about the happy parts here.  For starters, you’re only 10 minutes away from downtown, which gives you a good forty minutes to play on your deck (which, if you haven’t done this in a while, is a lot).  Second, and way more importantly, our great desk escapes are all about really getting away in a tiny time period, and while we still play on our Sector 9s quite a bit, we know that most of you in readerland don’t, and we think that’s a shame, because there’s nothing quite like dropping in on a tiny ramp (and these ramps are, for the most part, tiny), scaring yourself to death because you know that the only thing between you and a lot of concrete is a flimsy piece of plywood, and then launching back up a ramp triumphantly.  So go on — connect with your twelve-year-old self again.  You’ll be glad you did.

Providence, Rhode Island Great Desk Escape #2: Rent a Canoe or Kayak at Roger Williams Park

This is another one that’s a blast and is usually saved for lazy weekend days or tourists.  However, we think it’s awesome - in ten minutes, you can be out of your office and in either a rented canoe or kayak (or paddleboat, if that’s more your speed), going around the lake in our favorite park in town.  We know that it’s not the same as getting in a sailboat or surfing down by Newport, but it is an excellent water fix for those times when you can’t get away for that long, especially since all boat rentals can be as short as a half-hour.  Besides, it’s pretty, and while it’s kind of crowded by Providence standards, you’ve got so much to explore in the lakes that we’re pretty sure you can find a quiet spot to just sit and relax (and maybe ‘accidentally’ drop your cell phone in the water).

Providence, Rhode Island Great Desk Escape #3: The RISD Museum of Art

We know - you’re not going to be able to (or even want to) go outside every time you need a break from the office.  So our last pick, the RISD Museum, is for those times.  When was the last time you visited this museum?  Think hard.  It’s probably a five minute drive from your office, and we’re willing to bet you haven’t been there in a year.  And that’s a shame, because not only does it have one of the best collections in New England, it’s also got great energy — the place always seems to have students in there who are excited about what they see, and that’s pretty contagious.  Ok, we know — this might sound like a bit of new-age hooey to you, and our response is this — prove us wrong.  We think that, sometimes, it’s really refreshing to be in a place that just celebrates beauty.  Because offices, in our experience, tend not to do that.

That’s it for today!  Next time, we’ll be heading to Hartford, Connecticut (and yes, we’ve heard from you guys in Burlington — we’ll get to you right after Hartford).  Thanks for reading, and happy exploring!